Garlic or Barley?

April has really warmed up and plants in the ground are starting to grow.  The garlic came up nicely, but the mulch sprouted right along with it!  To save the garlic, with the help of one of the farm's volunteers (thanks Tim!), we lifted the mulch and turned it, uprooting the barley in the process.

 Sprouting mulch on the left, garlic with turned mulch on the right.

The garden soil has been tilled (thanks Mick!), and it's still a little early, but we decided to take advantage of the warm days to plant some seeds.  It's good to plant potatoes on a full moon (which happens tonight), so the potatoes are in, as well as some peas, spinach, parsnips, carrots, and red beets.  It's early, but don't worry... We have frost cloth and row covers!  You know... for that third week of May... half of June... and July 4th!

Tilled garden space.

As part of the Farm's environmental quality improvement program, we have been busy planting trees for a new windbreak.  Over 900 seedlings from the state nursery will be planted in four rows around the perimeter of the property, eventually providing valuable foraging and nesting habitat for bug eating birds, and helpful insects like bees.  

One of the farm volunteers planting a Blue Spruce.


Stay tuned for more farm news!

April's Seedlings

I do believe spring has sprung, however, we continue to get inches upon inches of snow dumped on us, usually followed almost immediately by a warm, sunny day, melt-off, and mud, mud, mud.  Really, this is not ideal weather for planting, but it is still early, and this weather is typical of spring time in Montana.

While the family is playing somewhere tropical waiting for the weather to clear, life at the farm just can't wait.  Seeds are started indoors and are really starting to take off.  As soon as the warm days decide to stay and the ground dries out enough, these little green things will be growing strong and ready to plant, lending themselves to (hopefully!) a bountiful summer harvest!

 New onion soldiers still wearing their little black helmets.